Want to get into apple cider vinegar? Here is how to do it.

Dec 29, 2020

Have you ever heard of the benefits of apple cider vinegar?

The magic liquid is said to promote weight loss, improve heart health, control blood sugar, help digestion and strengthen your bones and teeth, and it turns out even Jennifer Aniston is a fan.

While some clean eating advocates recommend drinking a shot of ACV first thing in the morning, our commitment to a healthy lifestyle isn't strong enough to put ourselves through this. We just prefer coffee.

There are actually many ways you can introduce ACV in your diet, so here are a few ideas.

1. In a salad dressing

ACV can be used as a tasty salad dressing. Whisk 1 tsp mustard with 2 tbsp ACV, add 3 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Whisk well and drizzle on your favourite salad!

2. In a smoothie

In a blender, add a handful of spinach, 1 frozen banana, a handful of frozen blueberries, a pinch of grated ginger, 1 tbsp almond butter, 1 tbsp ACV and a splash of almond milk. Blitz and enjoy!

3. In hummus

Rinse and drain 1 can of chickpeas and place in a food processor with 1 garlic clove, 30ml olive oil, 2 tbsp ACV, 1 tbsp tahini, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper and salt to taste. Blend until smooth.

To get a looser texture, add a couple tbsp of cold water.

4. In a healthy ketchup

Combine 200g tomato puree with 4 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tbsp ACV, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Use as a dip for your favourite chips!

5. In guacamole

ACV can conveniently replace lime in guacamole.

Mash two avocados, add 1/4 red onion finely diced, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 to 2 tbsp ACV, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp chopped coriander, salt and pepper.

8 YUMMY recipes with salmon to get a healthy dose of Omega 3

Jul 1, 2018

by Food Writer

If you think that cooking fish is complicated, please, think again.

An excellent source of vitamin B6, B12, D, selenium, niacin, Omega-3 fatty acids, protein and phosphorus, salmon is the definition of a superfood and we should include it in our diet regularly.

While the easiest way to cook a salmon fillet is to brush it with olive oil, season it with salt and pepper before baking in the oven for about 12 minutes, we have lots of delicious recipes that are easy to make and will make you feel like a health guru!

1. Chunky fish cakes

2. Salmon with soy, ginger and honey

3. Salmon with watercress and ginger pillows

4. Salmon stir-fry

5. Simple fish tacos

6. Salmon pasta with courgetti

7. Salmon and lentil salad

8. Salmon, broccoli and potato gratin

7 simple ways to eat healthy in college without feeling deprived

Sep 28, 2017

by Food Writer

College life is hard, guys.

Juggling classes, assignments, jobs and of course, going out (you are in college after all) takes it toll on you and can leave you constantly tired.

While getting a sufficient amount of sleep is essential, eating well is another key element to success in college.

You probably don't have the time and money to make Insta-friendly acai bowls with hemp seeds and goji berries, but this doesn't mean you can't be healthy,

If you follow these simple rules, which are more like general guidelines, you are sorted.

1. Learn how to make the most of a microwave

Microwaves are great to reheat some pre-cooked food, but you can also cook loads of things with this appliance: mug cakes, rice, pasta, eggs, veggies, potatoes, fish.

Do a bit of research and you'll be surprised to see how useful a microwave can be.

2. Get a small blender

For a healthy breakfast or a quick snack, throw whatever fruits you have around, a handful of spinach, almond or peanut butter, almond milk, yoghurt or just water and make a tasty smoothie.

This is an easy way to make sure you get a lot of nutrients and fibres at once, even of the rest of your day is instant noodles or pizza.

3. Eat bananas

They are cheap, easy to carry to classes, don't make a mess when you eat them, and also, they are quite delicious. Rich in vitamin B6, manganese, vitamin C, potassium, copper and fibre, bananas are nature's best snack on-the-go.

Get a bunch of bananas every time you do your food shopping so you'll always have something healthy to snack on when you get hungry. They are also a tasty base for your smoothies.

4. Eat something green every day

No, this doesn't include green Smarties and M&Ms. We are talking broccoli, spinach, courgettes, kale, peppers, and any leafy green.

Even if you struggle to get your five a day, including one portion of greens ensures that you get essential nutrients and fibre.

5. Have substantial meals

Chocolate bars and packs of crisps are not real food, they are empty calories. The reason why you crave them is because they fill you up quickly when you are hungry.

To make sure you don't get the midday slump, get (or make, even better) a hearty pasta salad for lunch, a bowl of soup with a sandwich, a big salad with carbs and protein… Something that will actually keep you going for a while.

6. Avoid sodas as much as possible

Sugary and fizzy drinks (even the light version) are pricey and not healthy. Water should be your beverage of choice 99% of the time.

To this day, water is still the best way to stay hydrated, and also the cheapest if you invest in a water bottle.

7. Stop everything when you eat

It is important, even for a few minutes. While we understand breakfast is a tough one, get 15 minutes to enjoy your lunch and your dinner, without being on your phone or on your laptop.

Use this time to focus on your food, chew properly (the first step to a good digestion), talk with your friends or just empty your head.

The top seven healthy eating Instagram accounts to drool over

Oct 14, 2015

by Amber Saunders

There are now over 300m active Instagram users, and with that there are more than 150m posts using the hashtag #food.

Even better, there are 8m posts using the #healthyfood hashtag.

From #foodporn to #avocadotoast, we are the generation the snaps up everything that we eat, and these healthy food IG accounts will give you some serious inspiration for your next meal:

@brownpapernutrition

Nutrition, health and wellness writer, Jacqueline Alwill, will continually inspire you with great healthy dinner ideas.

@jescoxnutritionist

This lady shows just how simple eating well can be with her drool-worthy IG posts.

@_sarahwilson_

The author of I Quit Sugar proves that healthy eating doesn't have to be boring.

@thewholefooddiary

This husband and wife duo want us to love our bodies enough to nourish them with healthy food.

@themintyanne

This IG account shows an abundance of meals that advocates plants in all their varieties.

@mygreendiaries

When food looks this good it's hard not to run to the kitchen and whip up something green and hearty.

@cleanfooddirtycity

A private health coach from New York shows her colourful clean eating recipes.

Sick of salads? Try these seven delicious healthy snacks instead

Oct 3, 2015

by Amber Saunders

There is nothing worse than working hard in the gym all week and sticking diligently to your healthy eating plan only for it all to go out the window once the weekend arrives.

Avoiding the biscuit tin at the office is hard enough, but when Saturday arrives your willpower can be pushed to the very limit. Nobody wants to be stuck ordering a pretty boring salad at brunch.

So, here's a reminder of all of the delicious options out there that aren't loaded with calories and taste absolutely amazing.

Sweet potato fries:

Courghetti (healthy spaghetti basically):

A healthy chicken burrito:

Homemade Granola:

This recipe is pumpkin spice, because that obsession is not going away it would seem.

Shakshuka is not just for breakfast:

Almond butter protein balls:

Avocado toast:

Honey may not be the healthy option we were all hoping it was

Sep 15, 2015

by Amber Saunders

Oh dear. This is not good news, and certainly making us all reconsider our snack options.

This month’s Journal of Nutrition includes a report that offers an interesting discovery about the affects different sweeteners can have on our health.

The study was done to see how much high-fructose corn syrup can negatively affect your health in terms of diabetes and obesity risks.

A common thought is that natural honey is a far wiser option for health conscious individuals than artificial corn syrup sweeteners.

As it turns out, the health benefits of both were, in this study, almost identical.

The study, which was actually funded by the honey industry, the research team gave subjects honey, cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. They measured their blood sugar levels, insulin levels, body weight, cholesterol and blood pressure.

The only significant changes was an increase in a specific type of blood fat that can be a marker for heart disease. This increased following subjects trying all three different types of sweeteners.

Lead researcher Susan Raatz and her team were surprised that corn syrup, given it’s terrible reputation, had at least in chemical terms an effect on the body that is “very, very similar” to natural honey.

"Honey is thought of as more natural whereas white sugar and high fructose corn syrup are processed from the cane or the beet or the corn,” Susan explained.

“We wanted to find out if they were different. But chemically, they are very, very similar, and that's what it seems to break down to."

The old theory about how to have ‘healthier’ pizza is actually TRUE

Sep 11, 2015

by Amber Saunders

We love pizza as much as the next girl but we tend to get a little but put off when we release there’s a grease filled swimming pool sitting on our next slice.

Trying to blot it off with tissue generally seems like a futile attempt at salvaging any hope of maintaining any of the goodness left. However, it turns out that our efforts may not be in vain.

Scientists put the grease removal technique to the test and their results have definitely made our day.

A dietician at Top Balance Nutrition put it simply and confirmed that “removing grease of oil from any product or any dish is going to reduce the calories.”

One study has revealed that blotting excess grease from your pizza can potentially remove up to 14 per cent of total fat and 17 per cent of the saturated fat. That’s an awful lot of calories to cut down on.

The Georgia-Pacific Health Smart Institute are not the first people to come to this conclusion. In 2013, Food Detectives put it to the test and discovered that blotting will reduce the damage of every pizza slice by up to 3.5 grams of oil.

Keep in mind that not all pizzas are created equal, and sometimes that oil is there for a good reason (flavour being the main one). There’s also the risk of going overboard on the blotting and removing any sauce that may have gone on top of the cheese, or indeed any actual toppings.

While life is definitely better without excess unhealthy fat and oils in our diet, it is also very boring without any flavour.

Are these healthy foods actually making you a lot MORE hungry?

Aug 18, 2015

by Amber Saunders

We all know the feeling: we have a big, hearty, healthy breakfast, only to be running to the supermarket within 90minutes as our stomachs rumble well before lunch-time.

What gives you ask? Well, the food that we usually eat when we're busy, stressed or even just plain hungry are to blame.

The highly processed, high-carb foods we turn to make our insulin levels spike, causing our blood sugars to crash which eventually makes us hungry all over again.

These foods are often stored as fat rather than used for fuel, but as we all know the usual culprits (fruit juice, white bread, fizzy drinks), there are a few surprising healthy players in the game also.

So here's a list of all the healthy food that actually makes us more hungry.

Whole-grain bread

Think that 100 percent whole-grain bread with crunchy peanut butter is going to keep you satisfied until lunch? No chance. Any type of bread, even the whole-grain kind, has extremely high glucose levels and will elevate your blood sugar more than a Snickers bar. Yep… you thought it was doing you good but it lied.

Dry cereal

Even if it's a big bowl of hearty grains, cereal doesn't have a very high water content so it's not going to fill you up for very long. Just think about holding a full bow of cereal, it's very light… and the same is going into your stomach.

Green smoothies

There's no denying that a green smoothie is healthy for you: it's full of the likes of leafy greens, fruit and almond milk, after all. But if you want to stay fuller for longer, drinking your calories isn't going to do much good for you. Our bodies don't initially register that were consuming sustenance in liquid form which results in you eating more calories throughout the day.

Pretzels

Pretzels first came on the scene during the low-fat craze of the Eighties and Nineties. Fat-free pretzels sounded like a good idea but it's not so: they are full of refined white flour and purely processed. It will stock your blood stream with a load of glucose which is going to make you hungry soon after eating.

Sushi

It's really difficult to feel full while eating sushi because it feels light and it's so easy to just keep popping a bite-sized piece into your mouth. And they can be packed full of calories too. So instead of eating a load of them in just one serving, fill up on miso soup or a salad beforehand. Your tummy will thank you.

Frozen yoghurt

While this might be a nice treat for after a meal, it is not going to keep you full. Sugar is simply empty calories and like before, with the glucose filling your system, you tummy will be rumbling soon after. If you really need to have some (because let's be real now) try fill it full of healthy oats, grains and fruits to make it last longer.

Dieticians have revealed the ‘healthy foods’ they NEVER eat

Aug 13, 2015

by Amber Saunders

There’s nothing worse than realising that kale salad was actually just a taco chip in disguise.

Whenever anyone makes the effort to try a healthier eating regime they often have to do the dreaded ‘healthy’ food shop.

With countless brands promoting thousands of products as they healthiest to hit the shelves it can be hard to know what to choose. Luckily for you, a number of dieticians have weighed on which so called ‘health foods’ that you’re better off avoiding.

Juice cleanses

Some people, and some celebs, will swear by juice cleanses claiming the detox is the best way to reinvigorate their entire body, however: "there is really no such physiological phenomenon as a 'cleanse,' " says registered dietitian Mindy Haar, Ph.D., the director of program development at the New York Institute of Technology in New York City.

Gluten- free snacks

Unless you are an actual sufferer of celiac disease, then it’s best to steer clear. Registered dietician Emily Hein told ELLE magazine, much of these have the same amount of calories and higher sugar content than your usual snack options.

Sugar-free salad dressing

The experts says that when food makers remove sugar from food they add other ingredients that will be broken down by your body into sugar when you digest them. So best to avoid those too then.

‘Diet’ drinks

While they could possibly be better for you than ordinary fizzy drinks, Lori Welstead a registered dietician at the University of Chicago Medicine says “they contribute nothing beneficial to your diet and may contain artificial chemicals suspected to increase food cravings.”

Vegetable based crisps

Apparently we’re all just kidding ourselves with this one. Avoiding the potato based kind is generally a fruitless endeavour because many other ‘veggie’ crisps are made with the same ingredients as the usual kind. You can’t blame us for trying though, right?

You can now have bacon all day every day thanks to science

Jul 17, 2015

by Amber Saunders

This is possibly the best news we have heard all week. According to actual scientists, our quest for healthiness no longer means we need to kick bacon to the curb.

Rejoice! Bacon is delicious and we want it all of the time.

Unfortunately, it’s one of those things that is only good in small doses and that makes us really sad.

However, what if we told you that now you can eat something that is as delicious and tasty as normal bacon, but is also super healthy?

We’re not joking, this is changing the food game entirely.

Research from Oregon State University have made the ultimate foodie discovery. They found a strain of seaweed that tastes like bacon when fried.

It’s called dulse, and scientist Chris Landon told Buzzfeed that they have been working with the seaweed for years.

Originally they were looking to use it to feed a type of fish, but following that research it was suggested they look into using dulse as human food.

“I think people who are vegan or vegetarian would probably be very interested in this as a bacon substitute,” he said, or anyone.

The scientists tried a few different food items made of the seaweed like crackers and salad dressings before they realised it tasted like bacon after they fried it.

“It has a savoury, smoky taste when you try it,” Chris explained, while also pointing out that seaweed is packed with vitamins and minerals “It’s much better for you than bacon.” Seaweed is full of protein, fiber and vitamins A, C, E, K and B. Excellent news.

Currently you can buy it in health food shops in the U.S but Chris has said that “it’s gonna require private companies to step up to take it to the next level.”

Someone please take our healthy bacon to the next level!

Yes! We have the answer to guilt-free pasta

Jul 14, 2015

by Amber Saunders

With Hollywood’s hottest women all boasting gluten-free diets, it sure does seem like there is method to their madness.

We’re talking Zooey Deschanel, Miley Cyrus, Victoria Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow, to name but a few.

Sure, we would all love to look like them but when the other option is eating a big bowl of spaghetti Bolognese and a slab of garlic bread… is giving it all up really worth it?

Thankfully, we now no longer have to make that choice.

Pasta with benefits’ has just been launched by the family-owned company, Leaves.

The company is run by husband and wife, Nico Oliveri and Sabine Hobbel. Sabine is a Dutch elite athlete and health researcher and her husband is an Italian chef who was determined to find a suitable pasta alternative after he discovered he had a wheat intolerance.

And their answer was the world’s first pasta with benefits. Made of entirely chickpeas and buckwheat, it contains 50 percent more protein and three times more fibre than regular pasta.

It is also the only pasta in the world that can provide all the essential amino-acids as well as being high in 10 key minerals and vitamins.

Finally, a pasta that we can enjoy and not feel guilty (or bloated) about afterwards.

It can be purchased online or in select Supervalu and specialty stores throughout the country.

The best superfoods you can buy when you’re on a budget

Jul 10, 2015

by Amber Saunders

We all know that when it comes to doing the dreaded diet overhaul there’s nothing worse than spending all your hard earned euros on over-priced ‘superfoods’ that end up getting dumped in the bin.

Kale, avocados, goji berries, the list just goes on and on. While we’re all for being as healthy as possible all year round, we’re a bit fed up of paying through the nose for fancy foods to help us be our healthiest selves.

In efforts to help us not be struggling with our copper coins until the next pay day rolls around, we found you some of the healthiest foodie picks that don’t cost an arm and a leg. These humble snacks pack some serious punch in the superfood department and don't break the bank.

Yes, yes you can. You can be content knowing your fridge is full of the healthiest picks, while also knowing your piggy bank is safe from being raided…. Until the next summer sale starts at least.

Oats: full of fibre to keep you full and help lower cholesterol.

Green tea: full of antioxidants to keep your skin glowing.

Tuna: cheaper than salmon and still full of omega 3s.

Apples: you know the saying about the apples and the doctors by now right? Pair them up with peanut butter and you're sorted for all-day snacking emergencies.